Pressure indicating means for safety ski binding



PRESSURE INDICATINGMEANS FOR SAFETY SKI BINDING I Filed Aug. 16, 1967 P. UNGER June 30, 1970 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 lnvenlar: PAUL 04/ 54 June 30, 1970 P. UNGER PRESSURE INDICATING MEANS FOR SAFETY SKI BINDING Filed Aug. 16, 1967 2 Shets-Sheet 2 f Inventormar/741E m United States Patent q Int. Cl. Giwr 9/00 US. Cl. 116-124 3 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE Pressure indicating device for safety ski binding, where an indicator is associated with the tightening screw or screws for the springs which regulate the release forces to indicate the pressure to which the binding is adjusted.

Background of the invention The invention relates to means provided on safety bindings for skis which are equipped with one or more setting screws for regulating the release forces for lateral or torsion and forward falls. The skier is enabled by means of these screws to adjust the pressure of the particular release spring or springs of his safety binding. Depending on his manner of skiing and the type of ski run (such as downhill or cross country run), the skier can by means of the adjustment choose the release point, which he generally knows from experience. If a ski is used by several persons, the release point to which the device is set will usually be different for each skier.

It is an object of the invention to provide an arrangement where the skier can conveniently determine at a glance the release force to which the screw is set. In this connection the device is to be made in a manner that it can be manufactured with simple means and without additional space requirements to be accommodated in a safety binding.

Accordingly, the invention resides primarily in that the particular setting screw is provided along its shaft with a carrier for an indicator member that extends circumferentially of the shaft, while the indicator part is slidable or displaceable circumferentially of the carrier while it is maintained or arranged to be carried along in axial direction. This arrangment has several advantages. The position of the carrier, for example in relation to an opening such as an indicator window or an aperture in the wall of the housing, can already be seen or determined at head height, i.e., by the skier standing in upright position. Crouching down or bending is therefore not necessary for the skier. The production of the carrier, such as an annular groove, and of the indicator element, such as a bent strip of metal or a plate, is possible without noticeable additional costs. The stationary part is normally defined by the housing of the safety binding. The sight surface provided on this part can be chosen at random. In a particularly simple manner a cutout in the wall of the housing, which can also be produced at nominal costs, may serve for this purpose. Since the setting screw with the carrier and essentially also the indicating device are in the housing, no additional space is required. The invention can be applied successfully to all safety binding or binding systems that may be encountered.

Brief description of the drawings Further advantages and features of the invention will become apparent from the following description of the embodiments illustrated in the drawings, in which:

3,517,640 Patented June 30, 1970 ice FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of a first embodiment,

FIG. 2 is a section taken along the line 11-11 in FIG. 1,

FIG. 3 is a further embodiment in longitudinal sectional view,

FIG. 4 is a top view of FIG. 3,

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the binding incorporating the invention, and

FIG. 6 illustrates the device in accordance with the invention installed in a ski binding.

Description of the invention In the housing 1 of a safety binding, which may be a so-called safety head, an automatic heel release or the like, one or several setting screws are provided, only one of which, screw 2, is shown here. This screw is adjustable in threaded bore 1a in the direction of the arrow, for example by inserting a screwdriver or a coin into the slot 3. In this manner the tension of the pressure spring 4, and thereby the release force of the safety binding which is not shown, can be changed as required.

The screw 2 has on its shaft a circumferentially extending guiding carrier for an indicating member. In this example the guiding carrier is an annular groove 5 having engagement surfaces 5a, and the indicator is a metal strip 6 which may be bent to U-shape and is made of arelatively soft material. By inserting this metal strip in the aperture 7 of the housing 1 the leg ends 6' of the strip 6 are pressed against the bottomof the annular groove 5 and are thereby spread out as indicated in FIG. 2. The hump 6" of the strip 6 projects into the aperture 7, and possibly extends somewhat therefrom. It is, of course, possible that the indicating device may be formed differently, such as, for example, in the manner of a pressure spring which is under tension.

It is apparent that as the screw 2 is turned, the metal strip 6 can slide in the groove 5, i.e., along the circumference of the screw but is carried along in axial direction, as indicated by the arrow. The aperture 7, or a suitable viewing window, extends in the direction of the screw movement over the adjusting length. From the position of the hump 6" in relation to the aperture 7 the .skier can determine at a glance how the spring is adjusted.

In the embodiment in accordance with FIGS. 3 and 4 the screw 2 again has an annular groove 5 with engagement surfaces 5a. Here the indicating means is a plate 8 which engages the surfaces 5a in the annular groove 5 with a head or head 9. Instead of this a spring clip can also be arranged in the annular groove 5 which at its upper part extends into a recess in the plate. It would furthermore be possible to stamp the plate out of sheet metal and to impress therein a lobe or lug that engages the annular groove 5.

The top side 8 of the plate carries a marking that can be viewed through the aperture 7', or some other suitable viewing window. This aperture may be covered by a transparent disk. The marking may be such that the plate 8, '8' is rectangular as seen from the top and divided into two triangles by a diagonal line, one of which triangles is prominently colored, for example red. Depending on the setting, the aperture 7' or the window may be covered entirely, partly, or not at all by the colored part of the plate. Alternately a different kind of marking could be provided, for example the plate 8 could be cut olf obliquely at one side, as shown at 8 (FIGS. 3 and 4). The position of the oblique edge 8" or of the remaining part of the plate, which is cross-hatched in FIG. 4, in relation to the aperture 7 can also be recognized without difiiculty by the skier. Also this plate part can be prominently colored.

The annular groove Or the like can be provided in any desired position along the shaft of the screw. As shown by the above embodiments, the production and mounting or assembly of parts of this indicating device is very simple. The advantage of a substantially closed housing is also retained where the invention is utilized. In addition, as already mentioned, the aperture or viewing window can be covered by a transparent disk.

The plate 8 can be secured against any possible turning with the screw during adjusting by providing a guiding slot or the like in the housing.

In FIG. 6 thepressure indicating device is shown installed in the housing of a safety binding in accordance with applicants U.S. Pat. No. 3,378,271. The spring 4, which is biased at one end in the screw 2, is received at its other end in the sleeve 19. The pin 12 of the releasable latching device of the binding is shown in the unlatched condition where the pressure on the spring 4 is decreased. When pin 12 is turned by depresing the lever to which it is attached, the edge 17 slides over the flat end surface of sleeve 19 and compresses the spring 4 which latches the pin and the components attached to it in operative position. The indicating device 8, 9 is generally the same as shown in FIG. 3. The window 7 will protect the interior of the binding against snow, and it will permit reading of the spring pressure indicated.

It is seen that in order to install the indicating device in accordance with the invention in the binding according to Pat. No. 3,378,271, it is merely necessary to provide an aperture in the top of the housing and an annular groove in the threaded nut of the patented device, because the binding has the necessary components to cooperate with the device in accordance with the invention.

Having now described my invention with reference to the embodiments illustrated in the drawing, what I desire to protect by Letters Patent of the United States is set forth in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. Indicating device for safety bindings for skis, said device comprising a housing, releasable latching means proximate one end of said housing, a threaded bore extending into said housing from the other end thereof, an adjusting screw threadedly received in said bore, said screw having a head and a shaft, a pressure spring extending between said screw and said latching means, a

viewing opening in the upper part of said housing, an indicating element for indicating the pressure to which said spring is adjusted, a guiding carrier defined circumferentially of said shaft and presenting engagement surfaces for said indicating element, said indicating element having a member extending therefrom into sliding engagement with said guiding carrier to follow the axial movements of said shaft, and said viewing opening being located in said housing above said indicating element and extending in the direction of movement of said indicating element. a

2. Indicating device in accordance with claim 1, where said guiding carrier is in the form of an annular groove, said indicating element comprises a disk portion below said viewing opening provided with a marking and a bead extends from said disk portion into said annular groove.

3. Indicating device in accordance with claim 1, where said indicating element comprises a bent metal strip defining a U-shaped hump having legs extending outwardly and resting at the bottom of said groove, and said hump extending into said viewing opening.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 473,488 4/1892 Wood 116-125 824,163 6/ 1906 Whitney 116-125 2,080,666 5/1937 Leutwiler 116-125 XR 3,027,173 3/1962 Beyl 280-11.35 3,105,696 10/1963 Rehacek 280-1135 3,172,677 3/1965 Marker 280-1135 3,186,727 6/1965 Hatlapa 280-1135 3,191,955 6/1965 Preisig 280-1135 3,194,574- 7/1965 Beyl 280-1135 3,337,225 8/1967 Smolka et al. 116-124 XR 3,378,271 4/1968 Unger 280-1135 FOREIGN PATENTS 223,295 9/ 1962' Austria.

1,380,775 10/ 1964 France.

LOUIS I. CAPOZI, Primary Examiner U.S. C1. X.R. 

